Heir of Slytherin

I really don't know where LP got her fondness for snakes, but I suspect it all started when she was still in the womb. We went to Tagaytay for a weekend where we visited a petting zoo, and there was this huge boa that my brother carried to the lunch table. I remember screaming at the top of my voice and smacking him on the head immediately after.

Then there was this trip to Manila Zoo where they took out the snakes for an exhibition of sorts. LP was 2 (or 3?) at that time. Somehow she slipped from my grip, and a few minutes later we found her crouched low on the ground, beside a table where a snake was hanging. LP was staring at the snake...and the snake was staring back at her. (The person supposedly responsible for the snakes was busy with another snake. ) I could've sworn LP's lips were moving. Perhaps she speaks Parseltongue?

Which is why Tiendesitas in Pasig is such a treat for her. The first time I took her there, we went to this pet store that was selling a baby python. With no assistance, LP scooped the little snake up with her bare hands. Eeewww.

Check out the red eyes.

A month later, a cornsnake.

Imagine how much she begged to get a snake for Christmas. Eeewww.

And just last month, we chanced upon a snake that had just moulted. I asked the owner if the little girl could have the shed skin. Eeewww.

That's the closest she'll ever get to owning a real live snake.

I was checking out LP's quizzes and tests last night, and among them was this Filipino test where they had to draw pictures and assign nouns for each picture. One of items said, "Iguhit ang dalawang hayop na nais mong alagaan. Isulat ang pangngalan ng mga it." (Draw the animals that you would like to have as a pet. Label with nouns for each.)

To which she answered, "Ahas, cobra" (snake, cobra) and "gagamba" (spider). The cobra reminds me of one of the worms from the Combantrin ad from way back.

To which her teacher wrote, "Nais mong alagaan ang ganitong klase ng mga hayop?"

My kid rocks.